Edd Houck Concedes Virginia Senate Race; GOP Controls Legislature

WASHINGTON -- Republican control in Richmond is now official. Virginia state Sen. Edd Houck (D) will not seek a recount of votes from Tuesday's general election in a race where he barely lost to Republican challenger Bryce Reeves.

In a Thursday press conference in Fredericksburg, Houck conceded the race, saying "there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heaven...a time to search and a time to give up," quoting a Biblical passage from Ecclesiastes, according to Patch.

The conclusion of the race in the 17th District, the only one left unsettled from Tuesday's vote, means that the Virginia Senate will have a 20-20 split between Democrats and Republicans, with the lieutenant governor casting tie-breaking votes. Since Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is a Republican, the chamber will organize under a Republican majority.

Houck, who had been in the Senate for 28 years, called Reeves at 4 p.m. to concede the race. Houck lost by about 220 votes, less than a 1 percent margin where he could have requested a recount.